Strike the Shadows
by silverblack013
Summary: Before the Vytal Festival, Ozpin realizes that they are massively overwhelmed and unprepared for what is coming, so he hires a team of shinobi to infiltrate and protect the school as transfer students from Mistral. What he doesn't expect, however, is a porn addict, two Uchihas and a mokuton user to be the elite team. The Sandaime must've been drunk when he assigned the mission.
1. Chapter 1

A/N Hi! SilverBlack here! This is my first story, so please don't judge. This fic is set during RWBY Volume 3, and just before the Uchiha Massacre. Thanks!

Approx ages:

Kakashi: 17 (He's supposed to be 21, but I aged him down for the purpose of the fic)

Itachi: 12

Tenzo: 15

Shisui: 16

Ruby: 15

Weiss: 17

Blake: 17

Yang: 17

Chapter 1

The silver haired man tapped his cane absentmindedly, making his way up the winding stairs of Beacon. Pushing his glasses up with his other hand, he stopped. "Kai." There was a soft hiss, and the semi translucent wall split, revealing a hidden room. Stepping inside with a calm ease, he tapped his cane twice, sealing the room in the process.

"Ozpin. Verification code 180713. Konohagure no Sato."

The room lit up with a blue glow as a disembodied voice responded. "Identification confirmed. State your message."

There was a pause. "When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow shall illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew."

The lights flickered red for a moment, before the disembodied voice replied. "Link activated."

Half way across the world, the indicator lying on the desk beeped, glowing a bright red before diminishing its light. The man on the other end chuckled. "It's been a long time, Oz. About damn time too."

* * *

 _Thwack!_

The shuriken embedded themselves into the center of the targets strewn across the field. Itachi stood, the tomoes in his eyes spinning dangerously. " _Sharingan."_ With the grace of any shinobi, he launched himself into the air, flinging the multitude of sharp projectiles towards the targets hidden in the tree.

Landing gently, his hands immediately went for his kunai pouch. "Who's there?" The boy asked, the leaves rustling ominously. "Answer me."

A hearty chuckle followed. "Relax, it's me." A figure stepped out of the shadows. "No need to be so tense all the time, Itachi."

The boy relaxed. "Oh, it's just you, Shisui. What are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing, just taking a look around you know…" Shisui flashed Itachi a grin, and the younger boy huffed, puckering his lips in a pout. "Just tell me what it is that you want."

Shisui laughed, ruffling his hair. "I just wanted to congratulate my little cousin for getting into ANBU."

Itachi blushed slightly at the praise. "It's nothing that you couldn't do."

"Ah! How touching!" Shisui sighed dramatically, placing his hands over his heart. "But on a more serious note, there is something I came to talk to you about."

"Yes?" Itachi's expression turned more somber. "Is it about the…?"

"No, no, no, no…" Shisui laughed uneasily. "It's nothing to do with the clan. Actually, I think it's probably to get us away from the clan. The Sandaime requested the both of us to meet in his office as soon as possible for a mission."

"A mission?" Itachi cocked his head. "Now?"

"Yup." Shisui scratched his hand nervously. "Although I don't think now is the best time for it. You kinda stink."

"Oh shut it, you."

* * *

The copy ninja giggled, his nose stuck in his little orange book.

"Senpai, stop reading that trash." The wood nin said exasperatedly. "You're a bad influence on the children."

"Maa, maa, don't be such a stuck up, Tenzo." Kakashi continued, his eyes skimming over the pages in perverted glee. "You just don't know the meaning of fine literature, that's all."

Tenzo sighed, already used to his senpai's antics. "The Sandaime is requesting the both of us for a mission. He specifically asked you to be there on time."

Kakashi raised a lazy eyebrow. "Is that so?" Flipping his book closed, he waved off the accusation with a nonchalance that could only be described as 'Kakashi'. "Tell him I'll be there soon."

"The Sandaime said now, senpai!" Tenzo called, knowing that his words fell on deaf ears. Sometimes, he wondered why he even bothered with Kakashi.

2 hours later, the copy nin found himself in the Hokage's office, the Sandaime himself looking exasperated. "Sorry, I'm late." Kakashi eye-smiled. "You see, there was this old lady crossing the road and –"

"Save it, Kakashi." Sarutobi Hiruzen ran a hand over his face. He may be a shinobi legend, but even he was no match for the copy nin's lateness. I'm getting too old for this. He thought. I _really_ need to retire.

"Now that we're all here," The Sandaime continued (deciding to ignore the indignant huff from Kakashi), "We can get started. Kakashi, Shisui, Tenzo and Itachi, I have summoned you here for a very important mission that can only be completed by the likes of you." He sighed, setting down his hat on his desk. "This is a high risk mission, with the success rate being less than 50%, so if any one of you would like to leave now, you are quite welcome to." No one moved.

The Sandaime smiled grimly. "Good." Moving his hat to the side, he placed a strange looking device on the table. "This is a hologram display from the world of Remnant." The man said, sliding his fingers across the small flat device. "You've probably never heard of it, since they are relatively hostile to outsiders, along with the fact that they are island nations surrounded by dangerous creatures called the Grimm." With a beep, the machine lit up with a blue glow.

The Sandaime spoke. "Sarutobi Hiruzen. Verification code 031002. Beacon."

A disembodied voice replied, startling the 4 shinobi in the room. "Identification confirmed. State your message."

The Sandaime paused. "All are expected to serve humanity... and never succumb to the darkness."

The device blinked red. "Link activated. Connecting to code 180713." The device glowed brightly, light filling up the entire room. Almost immediately, hands went for kunai pouches and thigh holsters. "Relax, friends, it's just a harmless little toy." The Hokage smiled bemusedly.

"Scans complete. Audio and movement synchronization complete." The disembodied voice spoke again. "Accessing Beacon in 3, 2, 1…"

* * *

"Accessing Konohagure no Sato in 3, 2, 1…" A thin projection appeared, silver light spilling onto the walls. The crinkled face of Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared amongst the projection. The Hokage smiled. "It's been quite a long time, Ozpin."

Ozpin smiled. "Indeed, Hiruzen."

The Hokage chuckled mirthfully, before turning to face the assembled shinobi. "This, is Professor Ozpin, a professor at Beacon Academy."

"How do you do?" Ozpin tilted his head in an amicable fashion.

"He's an old friend of mine, but recently, a situation in his world has gotten out of control, and therefore I am sending your squad to deal with the issue."

Ozpin stepped forward. "Most of you have probably never heard of the Grim, or the World of Remnant, so let me keep this brief and concise. I come from a world where dark creatures called the Grim run rampant. They are creatures with no souls, and are drawn to negative energy, feelings such as envy, sadness, loneliness or neglect.

"Recently, there has been a rise in Grimm activity, and I believe that there are greater forces at play. Forces that could mean war." Ozpin paused. "I don't believe our world is ready for that. Remnant is still growing, its people still dependant our Hunters and Huntresses, dependant on the substance we call Dust."

"This is why we need a team, well versed in both infiltration and combat to provide us with extra support when the war does break out. Our sources say that our enemies will be infiltrating the upcoming Vytal Festival, which unites all 4 nations in a show of harmony and millitary might. You will be sent in to ensure the safety of the city, as well as to collect intel on our enemies, whoever they may be."

"You will be undercover, posing as transfer students from one of the eastern islands, or Mistral, as they call it." Sarutobi continued. "Your hometown was destroyed by the Grimm, but because you showed an aptitude for combat, you were all trained privately to become Huntsmen. You will join Beacon Academy under that alias, and compete in the tournament." He shot them a wary glance. "Please try to be discreet as possible. The nations of Remnant know nothing of our world, and I would like to keep it that way."

Ozpin nodded. "Indeed. Now if there are no questions, I believe my subordinate will be coming to pick you up soon via airship."

There was no time for the shinobi to wonder what the hell was an airship, when a large shadow descended over the room. "Speak of the devil." Ozpin continued. "That's your ride."

Sarutobi nodded. "I'll send a message to your families and friends notifying them of your mission. All expenses regarding food or equipment will be provided. Kakashi, you'll be the captain of the mission. Try to return home in one piece." The Hokage commented dryly. "Good luck."

"Yes sir." The four shinobi nodded, vanishing in a shunshin.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." Ozpin said with a sigh. "You shinobi are incredible, powerful, yet so _young_."

Sarutobi smiled humourlessly. "War does that to people."

Ozpin found himself nodding in agreement. "I hope we are ready for what is coming, then."

A/N: Aaaand that's the first chapter! Review please! :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Wow, I'm on a roll here.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Itachi stared out of the glassy window overlooking the vast expanse of the cerulean ocean they were currently flying over. He briefly wondered whether Sasuke would've been interested in the flying contraption. He's probably angry that I left without saying goodbye, Itachi thought, propping his head against the window. I haven't even had a chance to train with him yet…

"Stop looking so depressed all the time, 'tachi." Shisui admonished, interrupting his thoughts. He reached up to ruffle his hair. "Just think of this as a nice long vacation away from home, 'kay?"

"Maa, now that won't do." Kakashi, the team captain stepped out from the cockpit, still engrossed in his orange book. "We are on a mission after all, we do need to retain some semblance of professionalism."

"Senpai, it seems very hypocritical for you to say that whilst you read that trash." Tenzo retorts. "Professionalism, my ass."

Kakashi looked vaguely offended. "I've told you, my cute little kouhai, you simply do not understand the meaning of _true literature_."

"Ahem." The shinobi were brought out of their musings by a sharp cough. "Good afternoon… gentlemen." The speaker paused briefly at the word, noting that most of the team looked younger than her own students. "I am Glynda Goodwitch, a professor at Beacon Academy. I will be your guide, and one of the few who will know your true identities."

Itachi took a moment to analyze the professor. She wore a white blouse, paired with black leggings and purple cape. She clutched a short crop – No doubt her weapon of choice, albeit an odd one. Her hands were mostly unblemished, and she didn't seem particularly muscular, which meant she had to be some sort of long ranged fighter, a mage perhaps? Her blonde hair was laced together by an updo that looked rather complicated yet practical, which suggested that she did occasionally fight, or at least provided support for more close ranged fighters.

"As you have probably been told, the four of you will be participating in the Vytal Tournament for Beacon, under the guises of transfers." Goodwitch continued as if she didn't notice Itachi's gaze. "You will scout for information, and protect the students or civilians if the need arises." She pulled out several storage scrolls, and gestured to the lockers. "Everything you may need will be in there. Additional intel on people and locations will also be provided in these scrolls." She tossed them each a flat mobile device that looked more like a tablet than an actual scroll. "We arrive at Beacon in 5 minutes, so I advise you to hurry."

The door clicked shut behind the huntress, leaving the 4 shinobi to their devices.

"… Well." Kakashi flipped his book closed, his uncovered eye glancing at his teammates. "Let's get to work."

* * *

To say that Winter was angry was an understatement. Furious, enraged or seething would be more accurate.

Her day had started off decent; General Ironwood had sent her to Beacon, and whilst she did have to watch her sister stumble through the preliminary fights, it had been good to talk to Weiss after so many years.

Of course, all that had been thrown out the window upon meeting this infuriating man.

Qrow smiled crookedly, amusement gleaming in his red eyes as he parried her blow by blow. He was so close that she could smell the alcohol in his breath, see the annoyance in his expression as she landed a blow on him.

 _Aha!_ She thought triumphantly. _That'll teach you to – Oh shit._

Winter barely had time to dodge his next strike, as he effortlessly flipped backward, sword/scythe digging into the ground to slow his momentum, his eyes still glinting with that mocking light. _Come at me._ He seemed to say.

Winter felt that twinge of annoyance snap. _How dare he._

Stabbing her sword into the ground, her glyphs emerge, manifesting into a storm of snowy birds that blinded her opponent, circling and clawing. Qrow seemed mildly annoyed. A quick slash from his blade/scythe forced her out of her circle, breaking her enchantment.

 _Not to worry._ A second glyph emerged behind Winter, glowing even brighter than the previous. _I'll teach this man a lesson._

With a speed too quick for the eye, she darted forward, sword raised to deliver the finishing blow and –

 _Ching!_

"I suggest you to stay still, Ms. Schnee." A young voice sounded behind her, and she felt the cool sting of metal kiss her throat. "It wouldn't do for you to be hurt."

Winter's eyes darted backwards. Her captor was young, younger than Weiss, with dark curly locks and spinning red eyes. She shivered. To move with such speed and skill, he was definitely a huntsman, a talented one at that. A quick glance forward saw Qrow in the same predicament, except his captor was even younger, with long dark hair tied back in a low pony tail.

"Who are you?" She questioned. Her brows furrowed when there was no reply. "Answer me!"

The only response was the blade digging even deeper into her skin. "Please lower your weapons." The boy said. "There are simply too many students here. If you wish to fight, you may do so elsewhere."

"And who do you think you are to order me around?" Winter couldn't help but snarl. "I'm an Atlesian specialist. I answer to no one but General Ironwood—"

"That wasn't a request." The blade dug deeper and Winter could feel blood welling up from the point of contact. "Lower your weapons."

"Shisui! Itachi! Release them!" An unfamiliar voice called. The two boys immediately fell back, moving with a grace that was almost eery. "Hai, taichou." They replied in sync.

"Maa, maa, no need to be so serious." The speaker was a young man, with a mop of hair that defied gravity and a mask that covered most of his face. "I apologize for my team, but you two were making a big mess in a public space." His tone of voice oozed with casual confidence, his body posture stuck in an almost lazy slouch, and yet he moved with a fluidity that screamed danger. "See," he gestured at the crowd that was starting to inch away. "You're scaring the students away."

"Mr. Hatake is right." Winter looked up to see Ozpin, followed by General Ironwood, who did not look very happy. She swallowed. "Now, there is a sanctioned fight just round the corner at the Coliseum, that I can assure you has better seats." Ozpin paused. "And popcorn."

The crowd dispersed at the Headmaster's words, some students lingering longer, whilst others left immediately.

"Winter!" General Ironwood snapped, and the former heiress winced.

 _Oops._

* * *

It was safe to say that Qrow was mildly annoyed.

Scratch that, he was VERY annoyed.

The Atlesians had come gallivanting into Beacon, without giving a flying fuck about discretion, dismissing his intel without a second glance. And to top it all off…

"You hired _them?_ " Qrow pointed accusingly at the assembled shinobi. "Oz, do you have any _idea_ wh—"

"Yes. I do." Ozpin interrupted. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have made that decision." He sighed heavily. "Qrow, the enemy is here. You know this. The truth is that we aren't ready."

"Yes, but you hired _shinobi?"_ Qrow sounded slightly incredulous. "You know what they are! They are mercenaries! Children taught to fight and kill for money!"

"With all due respect, Mr. Branwen, I don't see the problem." The captain, (Hatake?) spoke up. "If it truly is a war that you will soon be fighting, you will need all the help you can get. We are the best amongst the best, the elite of our village. I think you'd find us overqualified to fight a war."

Ironwood snorted. "The elite? Please, you're mere children." He flicked his hands dismissively.

"Oh? Is that what you think of us?"Surprisingly, it was the youngest shinobi (Itachi, if Qrow remembered correctly) who spoke up. _"_ You do realize who we are, don't you? We shinobi are the best in our line of work, which is why our existence remains a state secret. Currently, I can think of 100 different ways to kill you with a single finger." His voice was mild, as if he were discussing the weather. "I may be 12, but I've killed more people than you can count, and survived against opponents double or triple my age." His eyes flashed red. "I believe we are more than qualified for this mission."

Ironwood refused to back down. "I don't believe you know what this _mission_ entails, Mr Uchiha."

" _This,"_ he gestured towards the hologram of the Atlesian military, "Is what we need. The people of Vale need someone to protect them. When they look to the skies and see my fleet? They will feel safe. And our enemies will fear our strength."

Hatake frowned. "Is that so?" The teen paused in contemplation. "Because when I look up to your little army, I don't see hope, I see fear." The room seemed to pause. "I wonder what exactly it is that we are fighting. An ordinary invasion would not warrant such a fleet. This leaves only the option of war. But the question is: Against whom?"

"The Grimm are not organized enough to declare war upon humanity, and neither are the faunus extremists. This leaves a third party that my team and I do not know of. I can surmise that the third party must be intelligent enough to survive, and powerful enough to direct the other two groups to do their bidding to some extent. However, they must also be secretive enough to operate under the radar and hide from your sight, which is why we do not have as much intel as we would like, am I right?"

Kakashi's gaze lowered almost lazily, settling on the Huntsmen, who remained silent. He took that silent as a yes. "It seems to me that the enemy that we are fighting is a lot stronger what you have expected and what you have prepared for, which is why my team is here."

"I can assume that there will be an attack on Beacon sometime in the near future as I have been warned, but what will be the objective of the attack? I can assume that it is not for monetary or materialistic values, as Beacon is a school, not a bank. I can also assume that it will not be an assassination or abduction of student/staff, as that would be rather difficult to carry out due to the terrain, and the sheer amount of people. I believe the most likely objective would be to attain a treasure or perhaps a power that can only be found in Beacon. No sane person would choose to attack a city crawling with huntsmen during the Vytal Festival, unless they were fully confident that they would succeed, or had no other option."

Kakashi's eyes darted around the room. "Now I know that the four of you are much more than just teachers or drunkards, but the exact nature of your other job still remains a mystery to me at least."

"And it shall remain that way, at least for now." Ozpin interjected. "Thank you, Kakashi, for your insightful input."

The copy nin nodded slightly, and Ozpin continued, this time addressing the team of ninja as a whole. "Report to the coliseum tomorrow at 0900 hours. I believe your match will be starting then. Try to refrain from displaying too much of your abilities – You are to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Additionally, you are to collect information regarding the coming conflict in any way you see fit. Any information you uncover must be reported directly to me. Dismissed."

"Yes sir." The four replied, disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Qrow's jaw dropped. "Did they just -?"

"Don't ask Qrow. Don't ask."

* * *

A/N Aaaaand that's another chapter done!

Please review to suggest who should team shinobi fight in the next chapter. Also, does Team KITS (Kitsune) sound good as the team name?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Sorry, slightly late. I just started school, and I have to take my iGCSEs this year, so my life has been getting more hectic!

* * *

Chapter 3

"Welcome back to the Vytal Festival Tournament!" Port's booming voice swept across the Coliseum. "This is the last team match, before we move on to the doubles. This most certainly is very exciting, isn't it, Professor?"

"Doctor." Oobleck corrected irritably. "But yes, it most certainly is. Now let's introduce the teams, shall we? From Beacon, we have Cardin, Russel, Dove and Lark, Team CRDL (Cardinal)!" The audience cheered loudly when the team stepped into the arena. "And representing Sanctum of Mistral, we have Kakashi, Itachi, Tenzo and Shisui… Team KITS (Kitsune)!"

From a balcony above, Shisui's eyes flickered red. "Sharingan." He whispered, the tomoes spinning hypnotically. "Genjutsu." Within seconds, the illusion settled, and the elder Uchiha nodded. "Done."

Kakashi nodded. "Good." He replied, readjusting his hitai-ate so that it remained firmly over his borrowed Sharingan. "Let's move." Releasing the chakra that kept them glued to the ceiling of the coliseum, the four shinobi landed almost silently into the arena, before rising to greet their opponents. The spectators burst into thunderous applause.

"Don't tell me that these runts will be our opponents?" The tall stocky ginger stepped forward, a mocking grin plastered on his face. "This will be even easier than I thought." His teammates snickered. "You should go easy on them, Cardin." The blue haired one sneered. "The small one looks weaker than my little sister." The team guffawed.

"Maa, maa," Kakashi raised his hands up in a placating gesture. "We just want a good match, no need to get personal, ne?"

There was no time to reply as the holographic displays lit up, choosing the two biomes that the match would be fought at. There was a sudden shift along the ground, and the arena's floor shifted, revealing a vast expanse of ocean, and a dense stretch of forest.

"Now," Kakashi shifted discretely, leaning closer to his team, his voice hushed. "Remember, semblances and taijutsu only." His team nodded, remembering the rules they had set before the match.

 _Before the Tournament:_

" _As Ozpin had said yesterday, we will need to limit our own abilities." Kakashi finished the silencing seal in their quarters before he continued. "This means no overly destructive jutsu, or flashy moves that cannot be explained."_

 _Pulling out his scroll, he pulled up a holographic display of the arena. "The audience will be situated around the coliseum, which means they will have a full view of all our capabilities. Shisui," The elder Uchiha snapped to attention. "If possible, please cast a minor genjutsu around the arena before the start of the match to cover up any slipups that may occur."_

" _Apart from that," Kakashi assumed his 'thinking' pose. "You may know that the people of Remnant use their aura instead of chakra, which takes the form of a 'semblance', a unique ability that can be anything from clones to speed. Think of it as a kekkei genkai. However," Kakashi paused here, his gaze briefly lingering on each shinobi. "Each huntsman only has one semblance. If we display too many 'semblances', that would seem suspicious."_

" _This means that we will have to limit ourselves to one jutsu only." Here, Kakashi paused again, surveying the reactions of his team. "Itachi, your 'semblance' will be your Katon jutsu. You are also allowed to activate the Sharingan if the need arises. We will pass that off as a hereditary trait."_

" _Tenzo, your 'semblance' will be your Wood Release. Be careful not to tear up the ground too much, and only use it if we are allocated a forest terrain."_

" _As for you, Shisui, your 'semblance' will be your speed, or your Shunshin." At this, Shisui grinned. "Just remember that there are also others who also have a similar ability, so be careful not to let any details about it slip. You are also allowed to use your Sharingan if necessary, but avoid using the Mangekyou." Kakashi turned to address the team. "Is that clear?"_

 _The three shinobi nodded._

" _Good. You may use genjutsu if necessary, but try and limit yourselves only to taijutsu. Under no circumstances are you to maim or kill the opponent. Any questions?"_

 _There was a pause. "Yeah." Surprisingly, it was Tenzo who spoke up. "What's your semblance?"_

 _Kakashi eye-smiled. "You'll have to find out for yourself."_

"And the biomes have been chosen!" Oobleck announced. "This is beginning to look like a promising match!" Kakashi grinned beneath his mask, his visible eye curving in an eye-smile.

"Aaand, 3, 2, 1, begin!"

The shinobi's stances shifted. _Showtime._

* * *

 _Thank god there are trees._ Tenzo cheered inwardly.

Dense vegetation normally meant cover and hiding spaces – Great for ambushes and traps, perfect for ANBU teams like them. For a wood ninja such as himself, however, trees were practically his life line in a combat situation.

When the Professor had announced the match start, the shinobi had immediately retreated into the forest, stringing traps of ninja wire and exploding tags as they went along. "Stick together as a team." Kakashi ordered. "We have the advantage of this being our home turf."

"Hai, Taichou." They replied, just as the first series of traps were set off by an unlucky member of Team CRDL. The explosions were deafening, and Tenzo had to send an extra surge of chakra to plug his ears from the noise. When the dust finally settled, an eerie silence followed, the arena impossibly still.

Tenzo leapt down from the trees, landing lightly in a crouch. Close by, he felt the others do the same. _Don't let down your guard._ Kakashi signed in ANBU sign language. _They are still out there._

 _No shit._ Tenzo thought, just as the stocky ginger (with singed hair and armour) came barreling towards at the copy ninja, mace held high. There was no time for more thought though, the wood ninja soon found himself narrowly dodging a swipe from the opposing team's swordsman. Flipping out a kunai, Tenzo caught the next blow, feeling his blade shudder from the impact.

The shinobi quickly took this time to assess his opponent. _Strong swing, probably a close combat fighter._ Tenzo circulated more chakra into his kunai, preventing the blade from cracking before pushing back, following up with a slash to the throat that would've been fatal if his opponent had not blocked it with his weapon.

 _Quick reflexes, though a bit slow to follow up with an attack._ Tenzo thought. _A defensive fighter then?_ Leaping backwards, the shinobi analyzed his options. _I don't think it would be a good idea to reveal my wood release too soon, but a taijutsu spar against a close combat specialist is not a good idea either._

A quick glance at his teammates revealed Shisui zipping around the blue haired axe wielder, Itachi pummeling the dagger user, and Kakashi still engrossed in his porn, all the while dodging the heavy handed blows from the mace user (his opponent looked positively infuriated).

His exasperation at his captain's antics was short lived as he dodged another slash, followed by a lunge. "Don't tell me that's all you've got." His opponent mocked. "If all you're going to do is zip around like a fucking fairy, at least put up a fight, will you?"

Tenzo didn't respond to the taunts – He was a professional for God's sake; he wasn't going to let a few silly words disrupt his focus. Twirling the kunai in his grip, he shot forward with the ease of any assassin, pumping chakra into his feet to move even quicker. There was no hesitation as he began his flurry of attacks. A swipe here, a thrust there, and soon his opponent could no longer keep up with the pace. The swordsman had to reallocate his aura for defense instead, giving Tenzo the time to think of how to combat his opponent.

 _I can assume that his sword is also some sort of a gun, as most weapons in Remnant are. I will need to take down his firing pin, before disabling him entirely._

Tenzo's opponent swung forward, and the ninja dodged with ease, fingers digging into his kunai pouch. He flung the multitude of sharp objects towards the swordsman, who didn't even bother deflecting them, what with his semblance protecting him.

What he didn't realize was that attached to the kunai, were several exploding tags.

"Katsu." Tenzo muttered, and the pieces of paper lit up, resulting in a mini explosion that temporarily blinded and deafened his opponent. The swordsman was launched backwards by the shockwave, and Tenzo quickly took the opportunity to fling another volley of senbon at his opponent's weapon, easily disabling the firing mechanism within his sword. The swordsman was quick to get back up on his feet, but the delay had already provided Tenzo with all the time he needed.

 _Snake, Rat, Dragon, Dog, Tiger. Mokuton: Jubaku Eiso! (Wood Style: Tree Bind Eternal Burial)_ Thick chunks of wood forced their way out of the ground, wrapping around the opponent in a firm and steely grip.

"Forfeit." Tenzo stated, stepping calmly towards his prisoner. "These bonds are inescapable."

His opponent ceased his struggles for a moment. "Fuck you." He spat, before continuing his attempts with a renewed vigor. Tenzo simply sighed, whipping his kunai handle across his opponent's face, knocking him out cold.

 _One down, three to go._

* * *

Shisui had been pretty happy with himself that morning. He'd remembered to stretch out his limbs the night before, leaving him more flexible for the day. The illusion he had placed on the arena before the match was also proving to be no problem for him, barely taking much out of his chakra reserves.

Shisui knew he was in tip-top condition for the match – Which was why he had been pretty disappointed when he realized his opponent would be unable to put up much of a fight.

His opponent was obviously a heavy hitter, with the large axe and muscular arms. However, when matched against a person who's speed was second only to the Yondaime Hokage, it didn't matter if you could hit hard – There was no way you would be able to hit him anyways.

And so whilst Shisui zipped around the arena, leading his opponent on a wild goose chase, he took note of his teammates' status. Tenzo was practically done with his opponent, and Kakashi wasn't even trying (something that his opponent took great offense to). Itachi had begun to duel his dagger wielding opponent on the water, seemingly oblivious to the gasps of shock and bewilderment of the crowd.

Shisui shrugged, deciding to finish his match. Shunshin-ing to the edge of the arena, he allowed his weary opponent to catch up, before reappearing behind him. Delivering a well-placed kick on his back, the axe wielder fell forwards, and out of the ring.

"Elimination by knock out!" The commentator/Professor announced. "Sky Lark, along with his teammate Dove Bronzewing, is out of the match." Oobleck readjusted his glasses as he gushed. "Those were some interesting semblances and strategies down there from Team KITS. Did you see those moves, Peter? Spectacular! Truly spectacular!"

"Yes, yes! Marvelous, that's what it was!" The coliseum seemed to agree, bursting thunderous applause.

Shisui grinned, waving cheekily to the spectators. Maybe this wasn't so bad.

* * *

Weiss was decidedly impressed.

The final team of the day was good. Scratch that, they were brilliant.

The four huntsmen-to-be moved with such grace and cohesiveness that the heiress had a hard time believing that they were of the same age, if not younger than her.

When the Professor announced match start, she had been surprised to see them retreating into the woods. That had all been forgotten when the first series of bombs went off, deafening the stadium with the blast. She stifled her gasp of shock, and hoped that both teams were alright.

When the smoke cleared, she watched the stockiest member of Team CRDL rushed forward, smashing into his silver haired opponent. Weiss winced. That blow must've hurt.

The man hardly seemed winded though, flipping out of harm's way with a nonchalant attitude. He seemed to stop for a moment, sizing his opponent up… Before whipping out an orange little book whose font and title seemed to suggest it's content was to be of a more… salacious nature.

But before Weiss could contemplate the odd choice of reading material, there was a loud boom as more bombs exploded, blinding and stunning the swordsman from Team CRDL. His opponent swiftly dispatched him in that time, encasing him in what looked to be like wood, before knocking him out cold.

"Oh my gosh, Weiss did you see that?" Ruby gushed, excitable as ever. "He just did these weird hand thingies and the ground exploded and it was SO COOL!" She mimed a sequence of sign language, followed by a loud exploding noise.

"Elimination by knockout!" The commentator announced, glee evident in his voice. "Sky Lark, along with his teammate Dove Bronzewing, is out of the match!"

Weiss was stunned. _Two members eliminated!? They barely lasted 5 minutes!_

"Woohoo! Way to go!" Yang cheered. "Kick their ass, Kitsune!"

Weiss just watched in wonder as the youngest member leapt into, or rather onto the water, ignoring the gasps of surprise whilst he continuously hurled sharp projectiles as his opponent.

The wiry member of CRDL deflected the shower of knives, using his dagger to bat away as many as he could, his aura protecting him from the rest. When the hail of sharp projectiles stopped, he staggered to his feet, laughing cockily at the impassive dark haired boy.

Weiss thought it was strange that the 4 members of Kitsune were so skilled, especially at their young age. It was even stranger that they seemed immovable, their faces etched in stone, concealing any emotion they deemed as a weakness.

The laughing from the member of CRDL abruptly stopped as he was hoisted effortlessly in the air, suspended by invisible strings. He struggled and thrashed, attempting to break free from his bonds. His opponent watched silently, flexing his fingers as the thin wires wrapped around the knife wielder tightened.

There was a long period of silence, broken only by the choking gasps of the member of CRDL, struggling from the lack of oxygen, and the pressure on his windpipe. Eventually, his body went lax, his head lolling backwards as he slipped into unconsciousness.

His opponent's fingers twitched and the wires trapping him loosened, allowing him to fall to the floor. The solemn moment was interrupted by a loud yell, followed by a painful screech.

"A Thousand Years of Death!"

* * *

Kakashi retracted his fingers, brushing off the imaginary lint of his trousers. There was a loud thwack as his unfortunate victim flew straight into the force field surrounding the arena. A loud blaring sounded, marking the elimination of the final opponent.

"Aaaand, Team KITS wins with an overwhelming victory!" The professor/commentator announced. "With the team intact as well, in what has got to be the cleanest, and quickest matches we've seen yet! Truly a marvelous, marvelous match!" The stadium roared its agreement.

Kakashi took this spare time to sneak a glance at the wide screen that was currently displaying their 'aura' levels. (The copy nin had secretly gotten Ozpin to read their chakra levels instead) He, along with Itachi had used less than a fraction of reserves, whereas Shisui and Tenzo had used up an eighth. Not too bad he supposed.

The shinobi stole a glance at the audience, who were still cheering loudly. Finding a CCTV amongst the throngs of people, he eye-smiled, raising his hand in a mocking little wave, knowing that Ozpin was behind the camera.

 _Ah. This is fun._

A/N Thanks to all those who reviewed!

To Duhasianboi: Thanks! I've said the same to other reviewers but my excuse for the Winter getting cut so easily is that she was focusing her aura into her glyphs for attack, and was unprepared for Shisui. Eh, but thanks for your support!

To redR3aper: I'll try my best!

To Serefall: Thank goodness! I was worried that it would sound silly! As to the heiress, I've gone ahead and changed it up! Thanks for the reminder!

To duskrider: Thanks! I'll try to keep it up! :D

To nickclause: Thanks! Glad you liked it!

To st4tic sh0ck: Awwww thanks! I'll be sure to include more of Kakashi then. ;)

To CMedina1: Thanks for pointing that out! I had to go reread the wiki page on auras just in case, and apparently auras aren't constantly activated for defense. My excuse (for now) at least is that Winter was focusing her aura into her glyphs for attack, and was unprepared for Shisui. Eh, I don't really know. Thanks anyways.

To WorldDestroyer203: Yes, hopefully that will be the case, unless I'm infected by a plot bunny. Some characters eventually will know about the shinobi nations, but not the entire Remnant. That would ruin the fun!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Naruto and RWBY = not mine. This Story + Plot = Mine.

Also, not beta-d, or grammar checked.

 **Chapter 4**

Ruby had definitely enjoyed that match, although she couldn't really tell what had been going on. She just knew that it had been absolutely badass, and that was all she really needed to know.

"It was like, boom, ka-pow! And then bam! They were down!" Ruby chattered, her eyes still glued to the game. "You should've seen it Uncle Qrow! They took out team CRDL so quickly, it was so cool!"

"Huh," her uncle chuckled darkly. "Is that so?"

"Uh huh. Sis is right!" Yang interjected. "They were really fast, and there was this kid who could walk on water, and this guy who jammed his fingers up Cardin's ass!" She chortled. "He had to spend the next few weeks in hospital with a bruised anus, but man, that was really funny."

"Well glad you two liked the show." Qrow replied, fingers rapidly jamming on the 'punch' button. "But I'd like you to stay away from that team. In fact," his voice lowered. "I would like for you to avoid them at all costs."

"But whyyyyyy?" Ruby whined. "They were so cool! Maybe our team could learn a thing or two from them!"

"Trust me on this one, Ruby, you don't want to learn anything from them." Her uncle muttered.

"Bu-But-"

"K.O! Soaring ninja WINS!" The screen announced, breaking the trio from their reverie.

"Nooooooo..." Ruby whimpered, dramatically clutching her chest. "I've been defeated! Uncle, how could you be so cruel?"

Qrow chuckled at her antics. "Practice more, and challenge me again in a couple of years kiddo, if we're all still alive."

"Ugh Uncle, stop being so depressing, just be happy you won against sis already!" Yang huffed, extending a hand to Ruby who grasped it gratefully. "You never did tell us what you did in your missions anyway. Why are you so paranoid?" She puffed out her (large) chest proudly. "You can trust us! We're heroes now, you know!"

Qrow laughed. "Oh really?"

"Yeah!" Ruby replied indignantly from her spot on the floor. "We saved the city from the Grimm _and_ Roman Torchwick a few times now already! That makes us heroes!"

"Ha." Qrow snorted. " I heard that Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you almost managed to stop a train. But they don't give out medals for _almost_."

"They do, and it's called silver!" Ruby huffed indignantly.

"Well, we helped take down Roman Torchwick!" Yang offered. "He's locked up in Ironwood's ship and crime's been down ever since! That's basically a bounty mission!"

"Sure, you may be acting like Huntresses, but you're not thinking like one." Qrow shot back. "You really think four girls and their friends could end all crime in a kingdom?"

Ruby sheepishly twiddled her fingers. "Ehhh… I mean… I did until you said that…"

"Violence hasn't dropped since Roman got nabbed; it's stopped, completely. No White Fang activity around the city. You cut off the head of the King Taijitu, but now the second head's calling the shots. That's what Ironwood can't get through that thick metal head of his." Qrow paused. "I guess that's why Ozpin called _that_ team in to deal with this mess."

"Huh?" Ruby asked. "Who?"

"No one you need to be worried about." Her uncle ruffled her hair affectionately. "Just concentrate on the tournament, and let the adults handle this." He stood up, picking up his coat from the mess on the floor. "Just be careful, OK? Look after yourselves."

Without another word, Qrow left the room, leaving the two to ponder over his words.

* * *

 _Earlier on that day…_

Shisui stood in the stands, overlooking the stadium. _This would've been a nice spot to look at the matches,_ he thought, _but then again, we aren't here to sightsee._ He cast a light genjutsu over his eyes to cover his activated Sharingan. To his right, stood Itachi, his eyes also bleeding into red.

"Remember what taichou said." The elder Uchiha whispered so that only his cousin would hear. "We need to look out for suspicious activity, whether that is in the stands, or in the arena. We should split up so that we cover more ground, but we will also need to– "

"Hiiiiii!" Before Shisui could finish his sentence, he was suddenly engulfed in a bundle of red and black. Wriggling away, he freed his hands and detached the excitable thing from himself. "Hi I'm Ruby Rose, and I just watched your match, and OH MY GOD IT WAS SO COOL, you were so fast like BAM! And they were down! How did you even - "

"Ruby!" The silver eyed girl paused, interrupted by an half exasperated half irritated voice. "What do you think you're doing?" Ruby let go of Shisui sheepishly, whirling around to face the white haired girl who had spoken.

 _The Schnee heiress._ Shisui thought, thinking back to the data he had received in his scroll. _So this must be the infamous Team RWBY._

"Oh hi there, Weiss! You see I was just – OW!"

Schnee pointedly jabbed her in the arm, ignoring her yelp of pain. She then turned to face the two shinobi. "I apologize for my teammate's…" She paused to think of a word. "Obnoxiousness. I am Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. This is Ruby, lea— Wait, aren't you that guy from this morning's match?" The heiress stopped suddenly, her eyes glinting in a way that Shisui wasn't sure he liked. "You're Shisui right? And that's Itachi?"

"Eheheheh… I guess?" The shinobi awkwardly scratched his head, trying to get out of this situation. "I mean, my cousin and I are really busy so w- "

"Oh, so Itachi is your cousin? So I guess your semblances really run in the family then!" Weiss pointedly ignored Shisui's earlier comment, and blabbered on. "I watched your match, and I've done some research. Did you use dust to enhance your speed? Or is your semblance something else entirely? And how did Itachi stand on water? Was it his semblance or was it-"

"Whoa, slow down princess, you're scaring them!" A busty blonde with purple eyes interrupted her tirade. _Yang Xiao Long_. Shisui's mind supplied. _Daughter of Tai Xiao Long and Raven Branwen from Team STRQ._ "Heya, what's up? Sorry for my two teammates. I'm Yang, nice to meet you." She extended her hand in a greeting, a radiant smile lighting up her features.

Shisui briefly paused, before he returned the gesture, grasping her hand in a friendly handshake. "Shisui. The pleasure is mine." He returned her grin, and nudged the other Uchiha forward. "This is Itachi, my cousin."

"Hi there, Itachi, how are you?"

There was a long pause, as Itachi tried to duck behind his cousin. "…Good."

"…You're very sociable aren't you."

Shisui chuckled sheepishly. "He's just shy, he normally isn't like this." Grabbing his cousin's shoulders, he flipped him around and backed away. "Sorry, but we really are very busy, so we'll see you-"

"Let's go sit down and watch the next match together!" Ruby interjected, her enthusiasm seemingly infectious.

"Uhhh… Sorry, but we real-"

"Come ON!"

* * *

A few minutes later, the two shinobi were seated with Team RWBY, munching on popcorn and sipping on sodas.

"Ne, Shisui." Itachi discreetly elbowed his cousin in the ribs. "Why are we sitting here when we should be collecting intel?" He whispered pointedly. "We can't afford to waste our time with these girls-"

"Ah, little cousin, you simply do not understand the beauty of the fairer sex." He sighed dramatically. "Besides," he whispered, "I don't think the heiress is willing to let us go just yet." He stole a glance at the Schnee who was staring at them intently. "Just go along with it for now, little cousin.

"…You just didn't want to turn down a pretty girl, didn't you."

"Oh shut up!"

* * *

Two lone figures stood in one of the darker alleyways of Beacon, away from the festivities and tournaments.

Kakashi slipped his mask on, the eerie face concealed in the shadows. Next to him, Tenzo did the same, the feline features of his face as menacing as ever. The copy nin slipped his fingers into his breastplate and pulled out a set of ear devices. "For comms." He supplied. "Ozpin gave it to me before we left."

Tenzo nodded gratefully, slipping the device into his ear, the device crackling to life. "Target is to collect intel on our enemy." Senpai's voice sounded clearly through the earpiece. "Qrow reported that all criminal activity had stopped completely. That's not normal at all. There's something going on – Something a lot more dangerous than the façade that Ozpin is putting up."

Tenzo agreed. Something was fishy, and he wasn't sure he liked what he was thinking. "I don't think that the White Fang is behind this. It's too quiet, and not at all like their style. Could this be that enemy you mentioned?"

A heavy sigh followed. "It probably is. But Ozpin is unwilling to disclose any more information on that. And for a good reason." The copy nin paused here, lowering his voice even further. "Cat, trust no one. I know you already know this, but there are eyes and ears everywhere." The copy nin ran a finger through his mop of gravity defying hair. "There's something dreadfully wrong with this place, and it's not just the Grimm or the faunus activists – Something a lot darker."

"Qrow has relayed to us that there is some sort of disturbance happening near the ruins of Mountain Glenn." The copy nin tapped his scroll, the screen soon lighting up with a hologram. "The city itself is filled with underground tunnels and sink holes, which is why I'm sending you in, because of your chakra affinity. Scout for any possible causes of the disturbances, but do not engage in combat – especially since we do not know what is causing this." With another flick of his fingers, the scroll collapsed back on itself. "I'll be scouting in the city – Qrow believes that there may be a White Fang meeting tonight. I'll be infiltrating and gathering data."

"Copy that, taichou." Tenzo fixed his mask firmly over his face. "I'll return in a few days or so, then. Divide and conquer?"

"Divide and conquer."

And without another word, the shinobi slipped into the shadows.

* * *

Back at the stadium, the two Uchihas were enjoying the match between CFVY and CMSN, which was proving to be interesting to say the least.

Though draining of chakra, Itachi once again activated his sharingan as the fashionista's handbag morphed into a Gatling gun. _Interesting._ He thought. _No sealing or substitution – the handbag can actually morph into a gun. However,_ Itachi's eyes darkened considerably. _The weapon is only as powerful as the person wielding it._

The fashionista was obviously not adept at hand-to-hand combat, as the silver haired teenager continually pushed her back. His speed was unparalleled, dodging every bullet he sent her away, going full offense against the opposing duo. The girl's partner soon came to her defense, but an unexpected maneuver turned the fashionista's Gatling against him. _He has strong legs._ The shinobi noted, thinking of the power needed behind that maneuver. He then paused when he noticed the lack of aura (and the lack of blood) flowing through his legs. _Oh. Those are fake._

Itachi shot a glance at his cousin, who also seemed to have noticed. "I didn't realize that in Remnant, you could replace your legs with machinery," Shisui commented lightly. "But then again, Remnant is just full of surprises, isn't it?" At first glance, the elder Uchiha's smile seemed carefree, but Itachi knew better.

 _What is it?_ He signed in the traditional Konoha signs.

 _Something is off._ Shisui replied, his eyes darting back to the arena. _Can you see where that Emerald girl is?_

Itachi too turned his eyes back towards the match, Sharingan activated. _I…_ He paused, scanning every inch of the arena. His brow furrowed when his eyes failed to detect her aura signature. _I… can't?_

 _Exactly. If you can't see her either, then that means that the girl is either not here, or is hiding herself very well. She'd need a very strong genjutsu for the latter option, but luckily…_ Shisui's eyes morphed into an unfamiliar pattern. _I have mangekyou sharingan._

Itachi's eyes widened. He had not expected his cousin to be using the mangekyou so early on in the mission. In fact, he had not expected the need to use the mangekyou in the first place.

Shisui paused for a while, before: _There. By that copse of trees._

Itachi followed his gaze to the dense forest that took up half the arena. He focused on that point Shisui had pointed out, and sure enough, a faint aura signature was located on one of the branches. _If Shisui hadn't pointed it out, I would not have noticed._

 _This team is suspicious._ The curly haired Uchiha signed. _They are far too powerful to be academy students._

 _Right. We'll have to report to taichou when he returns then_. Itachi replied.

"Oi!" The blonde sitting next to them (Yang?) interrupted. "Are you all right?"

"Oh yes, we are fine!" Shisui easily plastered a friendly smile on his face. "We were just amazed by how well they fight! It seems scary to know that we may be fighting them soon!"

Next to Yang, the Schnee snorted. "Are you kidding me? Your team was a lot better than that! Imagine how we feel sitting next to you two!" She huffed. "I still don't get how you could take down team CRDL with such ease! I mean, we regularly beat them in spars…" She babbled on. "But still! It's kind of frustrating you know!"

Shisui laughed nervously. "Hehehehe, is that so?"

"YES!" All four members of RWBY yelled.

"Like, how did you guys even get so good-"

"It looked like you were teleporting, and even RUBY can't reach that spee-"

"And how did you walk on water? My glyphs can't ev-"

"You controlled your aura levels so well! You weren't even halfw-"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Ladies, please calm yourselves." Shisui held up his arms in a placating gesture, trying to lean away from the 4 girls who now towered over the seated Uchiha. "I'll answer your questions later, so please, can we just enjoy the match?"

Weiss opened her mouth to object, but the cat faunus quickly interjected. "Of course. Sorry for that."

Team RWBY reluctantly returned to their seats, and both Uchiha let out a sigh of relief. With all attention back on the arena, the shinobi continued observing the ongoing fight. The mistrali duo had managed to separate the duo from CFVY, and was successfully taking them down.

 _Hmm… Interesting henge… Or is that an illusion?_ Itachi noted as Emerald (disguised as Yatsuhashi) approached Coco. However, the fashionista was quick to notice that her partner had already been knocked out… But she was too slow to dodge the blow that knocked her out of the arena.

"And with that amazing upset, Emerald and Mercury are victorious!" Dr. Oobleck announced, and the stadium roared with approval.

"What?" Ruby half-shrieked half-yelled. "How could Coco lose?"

"Yeah, I know right!" Yang also jumped to her feet. "They've gotta be one of the best teams at Beacon!"

"How are we going to win against them?!" Weiss moaned despairingly. "Unless…" Her eyes shot to the Uchiha cousins sitting next to them. "We learn from those who are even better."

Shisui laughed nervously. "Hehehe, sorry what did you say?"

"Yeahhhhh…" Yang's gaze also turned to the shinobi. "Weiss is right."

"Ummmm…" Both Uchiha got to their feet and backed away slowly, as to not anger the four girls. ( _Demons_. Shisui's mind corrected. _Not girls._ )

"Oh, I'm sure you won't mind a little training session with us, would you?" Ruby smiled menacingly, inching forward. "Come on! Just a little spar…"

Itachi suddenly spoke up in a hurried fashion, his fingers weaving the signs for a shunshin. "No! No! So sorry, but our team is waiting for us, wehavetogonowbye!"

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" By an unspoken order, Team RWBY pounced, fingers grasping nothing but air as the shinobi hastily shunshin-ed away.

"DANG IT!"

* * *

(Cuz of a certain reviewer's request.)

\- - - OMAKE - - -

(Warning, OOCness)

Kakashi stared hard at his scroll.

His scroll stared back.

"GAAAAARGHH! I don't understand!" The shinobi snapped, his hands flying up in frustration. "I just wanted to check up on that Icha Icha update! Is that too much too ask?"

He jabbed his finger at his scroll. "I swear to kami, you will help me or I… I…" He paused. "I'll 'A-thousand-years-of-death' your ass!"

The whole room seemed to sweat drop.

"Senpai," Tenzo started, "This is an electrical appliance. They do not have an 'ass', as you so eloquently put it. However they do ha-"

"AAAARGH I DON'T CARE!" His hands flying up to muss up his already mussed up hair. "I JUST WANNA READ MY ICHA ICHA! IS THAT TOO MUCH TOO ASK?!"

"Taicho, please calm down." Shisui stepped forward, warily eyeing his superior. "I'll find out what it is, just relax."

Kakashi sniffed. "Well hurry up then."

"Hai, hai." Shisui sweat dropped. Then again, he had somewhat gotten used to the Copy nin's antics. "Sharingan!" The blood red eyes scanned the device thoroughly. After a few minutes of close inspection, he deactivated his kekkei genkai with a sigh. "I'm sorry, I see nothing wrong with it. The circuits are still complete, and the individual pieces should be functional. Perhaps you simply do not know how to operate it, senpai?"

Kakashi made a noise of frustration. "Ughhhhhh… Shisui, you are hereby demoted to doing D-ranks for the rest of your shinobi career."

"Uhh, senpai, only the Hokage is allowe-"

"Shut up!" The copy nin hissed. "Your incompetency is grating on my nerves. Itachi!" The younger Uchiha jolted. "You take a look then!"

Itachi took a hesitant step forward. "Ummm… Taicho, if Shisui can't do it, I don't think-"

Kakashi leveled a glare at him, leaking killing intent that could've killed an elephant. "I said: Take. A. Look. At. It. _Shrimp._ "

The younger Uchiha's eyes welled up with tears at his superior's (unexpectedly) harsh words. "I… I'm NOT A SHRIMP!" Unable to stop the tears from dripping down his face, he bolted from the room. "TAICHO! YOU'RE SO MEANNNN!"

"Wait! Itachi!" Shisui reached for his younger cousin. He glared at the copy nin, before he too bolted out of the room. "Itachi! Come back!"

"Hmph." Kakashi sniffed. "I guess I have two incompetent Uchiha on the team then. Tenzo! Fetch someone who could actually help."

The wood nin just sighed. _How could this happen to meeeee~_

A few hours, and a lot of tears later, Shisui had managed to corner the still-sobbing Uchiha genius, and Tenzo had found a mechanic willing to put up with Kakashi's bullshit.

"Hmmm…" The mechanic inspected the device, completely unfazed by the copy nin who was boring holes into his back. "I see nothing wrong with the scroll."

A vein on Kakashi's forehead popped. The rest of Team KITS instinctively took a step back.

"I think you just forgot to switch it on." The mechanic concluded.

"…What." The room was still as Itachi uttered the word. "Would you care to repeat that please?"

The mechanic did not seem to notice the killing intent wafting from the child. "I said that it's not switched on. You see this button here?" He gestured at the circular button on the back of the device. "That switches the device on." He pushed the button and the scroll lit up with a bright light. "See? All functional!"

"Oh?" Kakashi laughed nervously, his hand coming up to scratch the back of his head. "Is that all?"

"Yes!" The mechanic replied cheerily. "Now, if there are no more problems, I'll be on my way now!"

"Wai-"

"Senpai." Tenzo spoke. "All that running around, all those accusations, and it turns out that YOU JUST DIDN'T SWITCH THE BLOODY THING ON?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Kakashi backed away nervously. "Let's not be too hasty, eh?"

"You made Itachi cry for no reason?" Shisui hissed. "You demoted me to D-ranks because of you didn't SWITCH ON THE SCROLL?!"

The copy nin sweated profusely. "Uhhh-"

"Taicho?" A voice sounded from behind Kakashi. He gulped, slowly turning around to meet the blood red eyes of one _very_ pissed Uchiha Itachi. "Run."

Kakashi didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

Sorry this update took so long, but I've just been made head of my school's MUN, Debate and the Writing team, which is why I'm struggling to find time to keep writing. I do enjoy writing this fic though (the Omake was so fun), so I'll probably continue.

The Omake was inspired by Wonder Land Tea Party! Review/PM me if you want more of Team KITS' shenanigans!

* * *

ANBU Names of Team KITS (they aren't canon, at least I don't think so):

Kakashi – Dog (Captain)

Itachi – Weasel

Tenzo – Cat

Shisui – Raven

* * *

Thanks to all those who reviewed! They really mean a lot to me! :)

Cmedina1: I know right! Naruto's chakra alone is already massive, but with Kurama? I think it would be so big that it'd probably break through the screen! Hmmm… If I ever did a sequel, maybe I could do something similar.

nickclause: Thanks again! I'll try and update as soon as possible!

SilentXD7: I hope I will too! But I have my iGCSEs and my G8 Piano exam coming up, so I gotta revise as well! I'll try my best though!

duskrider: Thanks! I'm glad that the Semblance thingy made sense, cuz I'm not very familiar with RWBY. As for the thousand years of death thing and RWBY's reactions, hopefully I kinda addressed it in this chapter.

Duhasianboi: Hmmm… I'm still thinking about what Kakashi's semblance could be actually, but I can tell you it's not the Thousand Years of Death. I have a few ideas, and I'm thinking of doing a big reveal during the final battle, which could (potentially) be cool. Thanks for being so supportive, it really means a lot to me! I'll try and update as fast as I can! :D

st4tic sh0ck: Awww thanks! The fight scene took me quite a while, and I kinda gave up at the end, but I'm glad you think it turned out well! Kakashi is also one of my favourite characters, ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) so I hope I portrayed him well!

Wonderland Tea Party: That's actually a very interesting point that I had thought about as well. Sharingan vs Neo/Emerald may be a chapter I will write in the future, but my guess is that genjutsu is probably stronger? I don't know. Emerald can probably see through some of them, but probably can't excape Tsukuyomi and stuff. Oh yeah, I did the Omake where they can't deal with technology. It was fun to write.

Animazing Narra: Thanks for that comment! It really made my day! I'm really glad that you appreciated the battle scenes, cuz I tried really hard to keep them in character. Thanks for the review! :D

Guest: Why, thank you! I'm glad you see it the same way as I do, and I'm going to try really hard not to change too many things, because I agree with you. I'll stick to the original plot as much as I can, but there will be some minor changes, and don't worry, the RWBY characters still hold a lot of the main roles! Thanks for reviewing!

Toshirokira: Aaargh thanks! That's really great to hear! Sorry that my updates aren't as frequent now, but I'll try my best! Thank you for reviewing!

MadaraUchiha-Chan: Thanks! I put that Omake with Kakashi because so many people liked Kashi, so expect more copy ninja awesomeness!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The night was silent as the sharp whistle of a blade swung downwards.

A sharp grunt. A splatter of blood.

Kakashi nimbly leapt, vaulting over the bodies of the faunus. Flicking his blade absentmindedly, he cast a light genjutsu over those he had just slain and continued on his way. Jumping over the balcony of an apartment, he slipped into the shadows again, casting other illusions to cover his tracks.

 _From the reports that Itachi and Shisui had given me, it seems that there are genjutsu, or at least illusion users in this world._ Kakashi thought. _Let's see if they are any match for us._

Sensing movement in one of the darker alleyways, the Copy Nin stopped abruptly; keen nose sniffing out the lingering traces of human and faunus. Sliding lithely from his perch, he crept forward, his chakra sticking him to the underside of a balcony.

Below him, dozens of faunus gathered, some holding weapons, others unarmed. All clamored around a narrow entrance hidden by branches of ivy, guarded by two bulky bear faunus. Kakashi could sense the small sliver of an illusion clinging to his skin, and he quickly pressed his fingers together in a quick 'kai'. He couldn't afford to have his vision clouded by a mere genjutsu.

 _I'll need to see what's going on down there,_ the shinobi thought, fingers quickly whipping into a familiar set of hand seals.

 _Dog, Boar, Ram. Henge!_

A puff of smoke enveloped the shinobi, and dispersed to reveal a non-descript looking dog faunus with long ears and a short brown tail. The signature gravity defying hair of the Copy nin darkened to a dark brown, whereas his mask and hitai-ate disappeared, a scarf reappearing in it's place. _Damn, I look like a human version of Pakkun._ Kakashi huffed irritably, his hands fiddling with the dark strands hanging limply off his head. _Let's just get this over with._

Sliding down from his perch, the now-faunus shinobi slipped into the crowd, blending with a practiced ease that made infiltration all the more easier. Easily bypassing the guards, he parted the ivy curtain and followed the stairs downwards into a spacious cavern.

Underground, human and faunus alike were busy piling dust onto large trains leading out of the cave. The cavern was lit with the electronic blue from holographic screens, and a warm yellow from the torches alighting the area. There were others who were busy typing onto keyboards, making changes on the floating hologram screens.

Kakashi didn't stop to stare. That would arouse suspicion after all. Instead, he lengthened his strides to match those around him and gathered around one of the holographic screens.

The display showed a large fleet of ships, looking eerily reminiscent of the ones he had seen on Ironwood's scrolls. Casting a light genjutsu over his face, Kakashi opened his left eye, using the sharingan to quickly memorize the information. Although Kakashi wasn't sure what all of the words meant, he was sure every bit of information would be useful to Ozpin. Closing his eye, he moved away as discreetly as possible to not draw attention to himself.

He meandered through the cavern, weaving through the faunus, picking up bits of conversation as he went.

"…did you hear? Qrow is bac…"

"The ice dust goes here you dimwit, that's the fire dust..."

"…the Schnee company is still run by that asshole…"

"…did you watch that match in the Vytal festival? Man, those kids are good…"

On his fifth (ish) round around the cavern (still with no good intel), Kakashi was beginning to reconsider his options. _Perhaps I should venture further? I'm beginning to draw attenti-_

"Oi! You!" A gruff voice sounded from behind him. "What are you doing, loitering around?"

 _Bingo._ Slipping into the easy going persona of his cover, Kakashi slowly turned around, surprise colouring his tone of voice when he spoke. "Ah? Are you talking about me…?"

The ram faunus who had spoken snorted disdainfully, his lip curling upwards in a sneer. "No, I'm talking to the other pathetic looking dog faunus standing around doing jack shit. Yes, you idiot, I'm talking to you."

"Oh!" Kakashi hastily stumbled forward, adding a touch of clumsiness to his character. "Did you need me to do something, for you, sir?"

The ram faunus scrutinized the shinobi for a tense moment, beady eyes taking in every inch of the meticulous disguise. "Hmph." He finally grunted, apparently finding the henge uninteresting. "Don't just stand there, dog." Jerking his head towards the trains, he gestured at the crates of fire dust sitting by another stairwell. "Leader needs those crates by the control room. Make sure they get there in one piece, _mongrel._ "

Stammering out a quick apology, Kakashi bowed his head submissively and hurried towards the crates, inwardly breathing out a sigh of relief. Reaching the stacks of crates quickly, he picked up the one closest to him and slipped in one of Tenzou's special seeds when no one was watching. He then hefted the crate with some strain, and proceeded to follow the other faunus heading down the stairs.

 _Surprisingly, I haven't seen too many faunus around this area._ Kakashi noted as he carefully made his way down. _For such an elusive group, they sure are being lax with their security. Unless…?_

The shinobi slowed down, making it seem as if he was stopping for a rest. Placing the crate down, he nonchalantly placed his palm against the wall, rapping his knuckles against the thin earthen divide. Hearing the hollowed sound resounding throughout the stairwell, he quickly let his chakra seep through his palms and into the wall, his fingers eventually pressing onto the hidden switch behind a strand of ivy.

With a click, the wall split to reveal a darker corridor, lit by the sleepy blue lights of the holograms. Slipping in quickly, Kakashi cast a furtive glance at the door, which soon closed shut behind him. The shinobi quickly darted down the hallway, disappearing into the shadows.

 **-0-0-0-**

To any outsider looking in, it would appear as if Shisui and Itachi were simply redocarating, but to an experienced shinobi, it was much more.

 _Ox. Boar. Ram._ Itachi flicked through the handsigns before pressing the pad of his thumb into his teeth, flicking the droplets of blood onto the complicated array of seals slinking across the floor.

"I'm done." Shisui piped up from his corner of the room. Itachi nodded, brushing the lint off his trousers as he stood. "Good. Let's do it then."

Grabbing the reports, the shinobi placed the scrolls into the centre of the circle. With a quick ram seal, the scroll disappeared with a small poof, leaving a cloud of white smoke.

"I'm going to assume that worked." Shisui concluded. "If this works, the Sandaime should write back in a few days with our orders."

Itachi nodded, albeit with a little confusion. "But why can't we just use Professor Ozpin's machines? They are much faster, and don't require chakra."

The older Uchiha nodded sagely. "Good question, 'tachi. Well, apparently, neither Ozpin nor Hokage-sama trusts the holograms anymore, as they can easily be hacked. Shinobi techniques are more reliable, so get used to using your summons Itachi, you'll probably need them."

Itachi nodded. He didn't trust technology too much either. After all, it's not everyday when you are shown a floating glowing man, talking about soulless monsters and weapons made with dust. The shinobi idly wondered if he was going crazy.

"Anyhow, the reports have been submitted, so we should continue scouting around." Shisui continued, adopting a more serious attitude. "That duo we saw this morning is still quite suspicious. I've asked around, and no one from their school really knows who they are. And when I asked about their semblances, no one's heard of anyone with an illusion semblance. It's very odd."

The younger Uchiha agreed. "Not to mention that they were far more skilled than the other duo, which Team RWBY had said to be one of the strongest teams in Beacon. A no name duo being able to defeat one of the elites? That enough should've caught Ozpin's eye. But why isn't he doing anything?"

Shisui shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe he's too busy dealing with other problems, but that doesn't negate the fact that two potential threats have completely slipped under their radar. Honestly, that's quite a letdown, considering how Atlas keeps boasting of their militia."

"Right." Itachi nodded. "That settles it. Should we go 'socialize' with our new friends then?"

The other shinobi grinned, the moon light reflecting off his sharp canines. "Thought you'd never ask, 'tachi."

-0-0-0-

 _This place is massive._ The copy nin thought to himself as he rounded another corner. _At this rate, I'm never going to find anything remotely useful…_ His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps.

"…and the preparations are ready?"

"As ready as they will be, Cinder. But are you sure that Adam and the White Fang will cooperate?"

"Whether they cooperate or not is of no significance." 'Cinder' hissed, the footsteps drawing closer and closer. "The preparations are in place. That's all that matters."

Applying chakra to his feet, the ninja quickly scaled the walls, hastily shrouding himself in a quick genjutsu to prevent himself from being noticed. Thankfully, the footsteps passed by without stopping, and Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. Inching forward on his perch, he followed the voices as they continued onwards.

"And the...?"

"Has been accounted for." A new voice spoke up. "Our men around Mountain Glenn has detected signs of it waking. If we manage to kickstart things on our end… Well, let's just say that even a maiden would have a difficult time dealing with it."

The speakers finally stepped into better lighting, and Kakashi was able to catch a glimpse of one of them. The first, 'Cinder', (he assumed) was a dark haired woman with striking amber eyes. The second and third were both teens, although from that distance, the copy nin couldn't see their faces clearly.

Cinder turned to the teens, a smirk pulling at her lips. "Good. Very good. Ensure that you two remain undetected." There was a brief pause. "Go on. I'm sure you two have much to prepare for."

"Yes, ma'am." Both voices chorused, their footsteps gradually fading away until Kakashi could no longer hear the duo.

Time seemed to stop as Cinder gradually turned to face Kakashi. An ugly smirk stretched across her features, marring the otherwise pretty face. "You can come out now."

The ninja tensed, his breath caught in his throat.

Cinder chuckled. "Yes, you. Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice?" She casually shrugged, her eyes lighting up in an eerie yellow glow. "I felt your aura. So malevolent. Stained. You tried to hide it, but the sudden disappearance of such a terrible aura makes it even more obvious."

Knowing the gig was up, the ninja detached himself from the wall, landing neatly on the concrete ground. Languidly standing, he assessed the woman in front of him. _Not much muscle mass, so probably not a close range fighter by nature. Callouses and burns suggests she is a fire type, so I should be wary of getting to close. I have enough chakra to pull off a few water dragons, so I shouldn't worry too much about that. However, her confident posture, glowing eyes and authoritative tone to her two subordinates suggests that she has a high degree of power in whatever is going on. So I can assume she is powerful, maybe exceedingly so. Perhaps she is one of those threats that Ozpin wishes to hide._

"Mah… Is it possible for you to forget that I'd been here?" Scratching his head awkwardly, Kakashi kept up the guise of his henge, brown floppy ears twitching under the woman's scrutiny.

Cinder sneered. "I should've known. You're just a dirty dog." Her fists lit up with an orange flame. "How did you get in here? Adam specifically told me this place was secure."

"Mah… A good dog never reveals his tricks." Kakashi replied, keeping his posture as casual as possible whilst discreetly eyeing all possible exits. "But this place does seem awfully shady. You sure you aren't up to no good?"

The woman hissed, her fists burning with flame. "I'll make this quick."

Then she lunged.

So sorry for not updating in forever! I've just been really busy with exams, music, competitions, and I've just finished my iGCSEs. I think I did OK? But dang the further pure maths was difficult. I'll probably have a better updating schedule starting next month because I'm on summer break.

On another note, please be polite in your reviews! I don't mind criticism, but please don't leave comments that are just rude.

Feel free to request more Omakes! They are really fun to write!

Guest: Uhhhh I'm not great with pairings and romance but I have thought about it. If more readers request pairings, I'd definitely consider it – I need more practice writing romance scenes anyway. As to Ruby's eyes, it will probably be revealed, but Ozpin might not be the one doing it. Anyhow, thanks for reviewing! This was great feedback, and I now have more direction for where this fic is actually going!

billykeo95: Thank you for your many reviews! I'm glad someone actually likes the fic! And that's a yes for more Kakashi! :)

Duhasianboi: Awww thank you so much for that review! It really made my day! I'll keep up the updates and stuff then!

Leicontis: Yassss I do too! This will happen don't worry! I just have to figure out where…

St4t1c sh0ck: Don't worry, I know I'm really late to be saying this, but I hope you're all right. My friends in the US were hit pretty badly too, so thanks for taking the time to review.

Kashi-kun: Thanks! Really sorry I didn't update quickly. I'll hopefully be updating more regularly now.

Hakazu: Awwww thanks! I'll try my best!

Got Saws: Hell yeah! I hope so too!

Assassin of the Black: Yup, I'm updating. Don't know if it'll be frequent, but I do have most chapters planned ahead.

Quantum: Thank you! I hope you're still waiting ;)

Animazing Narra: I do have a few things planned… I have taken your ideas into consideration, so I hope I haven't made him too OP. Heheheh OP characters are so one dimensional tho. Thanks for taking the time to review!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Emerald and Mercury had just left the White Fang's base when two overly friendly students accosted them. "Hey!" The curly haired one called. "What a coincidence, seeing you here!"

The stranger was a teen, approximately 16 years old. He was wearing a high collared shirt and black shorts, a friendly grin plastered across his face. The other followed at a more subdued pace, with similar features but long straight hair. With a start, Emerald realized that this was the infamous Team KITS – someone Cinder had told her to keep an eye out for.

"We saw your match this morning! It was really good!" The elder teen complimented. "You both work really well together! I'm surprised I hadn't seen you around before." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Shisui! Nice to meet you."

Emerald didn't hesitate, returning the handshake with a well-practiced smile. "Likewise! I'm Emerald. My partner here is Mercury." She leaned forward, a teasing tone colouring her voice. "He doesn't talk much, very shy you see."

Shisui laughed. "Same here! Baby cuz doesn't like to say much either." He pulled his teammate in by the shoulders. "This is Itachi, my baby cousin! Say hi, 'tachi."

"…Hello." The boy muttered, scuffling his feet. "Nice to meet you."

Emerald smiled warmly, realizing an opportunity to obtain information. "Yeah! Same here. I saw your match too! Wow, it was amazing how fast you could move! Was that your semblance?"

Shisui laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess you could say that, but the mechanics of how it works is way more complicated. I don't really understand much of it either." His eyes lit up. "Hey, how about we discuss more of this over dinner? We haven't had a chance to explore the city yet, so we should get some chow together!"

Emerald glanced at Mercury, who shrugged, leaving her to make a decision. She paused, weighing both options in mind. _I really don't want to socialize with other wannabe hunters, but it would be a good opportunity to obtain more information on Kitsune. We know practically nothing about them, and we can't afford to have powerful anomalies wandering around – that'll throw a wrench in the plans. But…_

Emerald snuck a glance at Shisui, who was still smiling brightly. _How is he so happy all the time? Gosh, he's just like that Ruby girl. How irritating._

Plastering an easy smile on her face, Emerald replied. "Sure!"

-0-0-0-

Itachi knew that Emerald absolutely hated them. It was obvious with that forced grin, but what really gave it away was the irritation in her body language, and the disdain reflected in her eyes. Itachi knew without a doubt that Shisui had also noticed, but had said nothing, leaving the younger Uchiha to observe the pair's movements.

As the gentle ebbs of conversation continued to flow, Itachi found himself under the intense scrutiny of Emerald's partner, Mercury. Deciding to adopt an innocent guise, he widened his eyes, trying to look as vulnerable as an ANBU assassin could look. "Is there something wrong?"

Mercury recoiled at the puppy dog eyes the boy was giving him. He shivered, feeling oddly uncomfortable knowing this boy could single handedly defeat an opponent twice his size. "…No. Just thinking."

Thankfully, Itachi didn't press for details, and the two journeyed on in silence, watching the more sociable members of their respective teams chatting.

"…You been here for long?" Surprisingly, it was Mercury who broke the tense silence.

"…Not really." Itachi replied, choosing his words wisely as to avoid giving away too much information. "We only came to Beacon recently for this competition."

"Oh? So you'd never been to Beacon before then?" Mercury asked, suddenly a lot more interested in the conversation. _Damn, I gave too much information away._ Itachi cursed inwardly.

"…No. Not really." Itachi hesitated, wondering how much he should reveal. "I'm from a small town in Mistral. It's only by chance that I'm here." That wasn't entirely untrue. Konoha was a small town, compared to the sheer size of Beacon. As to his luck, Itachi counted himself fortunate that was not lying in a mass grave with the rest of his family, whilst Danzo and ROOT erased all evidence of their existence.

"It must be pretty amazing for a small town boy to be able to compete in such a prestigious tournament then." Mercury smirked. "Where did you even train? I must say, your semblances are quite unique."

 _Wow. You make it so obvious that you are fishing for info,_ Itachi groused. Seeing that the teen had already made his intentions known, there was no point in keeping his guise. "Here and there. Some private benefactors. Some passing huntsmen. Nothing much really." He risked a glance at Mercury. "What about you? You and Emerald seem really experienced. You…" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Could you be hunters in disguise?

Mercury laughed aloud. "What a silly idea. Emerald and I are just great partners. We've worked together for a long time after all." Itachi idly noted the use of the word 'work' and the fact that he hadn't mentioned his other teammates at all. "Our semblances work well together, and when Cind— " He stopped abruptly, not finishing his sentence. Catching his slip up, Itachi cocked his head in confusion, playing the part of the confused 12-year-old. "When what?"

Mercury shook his head. "Nothing. Just thought I saw something." Itachi chose not to comment on the blatant lie. "Anyhow, the four of you, huh? How did that happen?"

"We originated from the same region." Itachi answered curtly. "We showed potential, so we were put in a team." Stretching, the shinobi yawned. "But nothing exciting has happened so far in the tournament. Don't suppose you have any idea on what's going on next?"

A tiny smirk tugged on the corner of Mercury's lips. "Perhaps."

-0-0-0-

Kakashi dodged the fiery hot flame that would've taken his head off, had he been any slower. Even then, he could feel the heat emanating from the fireball, missing him by inches. Flipping backwards, he landed in a crouch, using the time and distance he had bought to come up with a plan.

 _My chakra reserves are fine, but it is quite draining if I have to fight in a henge._ Kakashi thought absently as Cinder stormed towards him, fists lighting up in flame for another attack. _But there's no way I can allow her to figure out my identity. I shouldn't show too many techniques – especially if she's something that Ozpin wishes to hide from me. I should end this as quickly as I can._

There wasn't much time after that, as another fireball came hurtling towards him. This time, however, instead of leaping away, Kakashi ran forward, enhancing his speed and power with a chakra boost in his legs. Easily evading the large fireball, Kakashi struck with a kunai, swiping at her throat. Surprisingly, the woman was adept at hand to hand combat, easily evading the kunai, and following it up with a upper-cut that would've knocked the shinobi out, had he not dodged.

Using the distance her unexpected comeback had brought, Cinder fired several fireballs at the ninja, some of which singed the edges of his jacket, heating up the room to an almost unbearable degree.

Undeterred by his failed attempt, Kakashi dashed forward again, this time, his hands running through the hand signs for a quick substitution. Subbing himself with some debris, he reappeared behind Cinder, kunai in hand. Taken by surprise, the woman barely managed to parry the blow with her dust blades, the attack sending her reeling.

Not one to waste an opportunity, the copy nin quickly followed his attack with a series of offensive maneuvers, trying to push her back. _I can't kill her._ Kakashi thought. _I need her alive for the information. Whatever she is part of; it's likely the threat Ozpin had mentioned. She'll be a valuable source of intel._

What ensued was a particularly brutal bout of Taijutsu that had both fighters pulling out all the stops. Kakashi could no longer count how many times how many times the woman had tried to go for his family jewels. Not that the shinobi was any better – he aimed for her eyes and hair.

Gradually, however, the difference between their strength and technique was showing. Whilst Cinder was cunning and resourceful, it didn't match the experience and combat power that the copy nin possessed. One particularly vicious swipe caused Cinder to stagger, and Kakashi was quick in taking that opportunity. Delivering a swift round house kick, the powerful move knocked the woman to the floor, sending her skidding painfully across the burning floor.

Before she was up, Kakashi was already pressing the attack, dashing forward to deal the finishing blow. However, as the copy nin approached his downed opponent, he sensed that something was wrong. _There is no way that the leader of such a large group would be this weak. There's no way Ozpin would be worried if this is all that she's capable of. There has to be-_

The copy nin didn't have much time to think as Cinder's eyes lit up with a glow, and the world exploded in a burst of flame.

The ninja's back slammed into the opposite wall with the force of a freight truck, the air forced out of his lungs. For a moment, all Kakashi could hear was the ringing sound in his ears and the pounding in his head. Slowly, the copy nin's focus drifted, the sharp pain in his chest seeming so faraway.

The moment passed, and Kakashi snapped back into his senses just in time to avoid the searing fireball flung at his face. Hastily rolling to the side, the ninja could feel his ribs protesting at the sudden movement. _Definitely injured a few ribs. I'm not sure it its just a crack or a clean fracture, so I'll have to end this quickly if I don't want to asphyxiate from a punctured lung._

Stepping nimbly to the side, Kakashi surveyed the damage Cinder had caused. Where he had once been standing, a large crater now stood in its place, flaming debris littering the corridor. The concrete looked to have been completely shattered, similar to how it would've looked like if Tsunade-hime had been his opponent. The only difference was that instead of facing a drunk, busty blonde, Kakashi was stuck with an irate, flaming woman, who looked angrier by the second.

"Why won't you stay down?" She sneered. "You faunus. Always getting in my way." As she finished her sentence, she launched another series of fireballs, the shinobi twisting and dodging to evade all of them. Seeing the shinobi escape unscathed from her newest attack seemed to infuriate her even more, and her eyes lit up in the eerie yellow glow.

 _Easy to anger._ Kakashi noted. _And her eyes glow when she is gearing up for a powerful attack. She's also more likely to miss when she's angry, so maybe I should take my chances…_

"You know," Kakashi stood upright, his defensive position sliding into something more casual, despite his protesting ribs. "I thought you would be more, considering how I was told you would be difficult to defeat." A cocky grin tugged at his lips. "But seeing how you struggle to beat a _dog_ like me…" The ninja paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You can't be much, can you?"

Cinder's fists clenched, her nails digging into skin. "You know _nothing."_ She hissed. "I was going to go easy on you, but it seems you have a death wish, _mongrel._ "

Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly. "Not really. I just don't make it a habit to fight people so far below me." The ninja smirked. "I guess I'll make an exception for you."

"You…" She hissed, her eyes glowing bright amber. "You're. Dead."

With a cry, she lunged forward, her speed greatly exceeding that of before. However, this time, the copy nin was prepared. Forming the hand seals for a shunshin, he met her halfway, forming another set of hand seals needed for a weak chidori (the type not meant to harm, but to cause pain). The hallway lit up with a bright light and the sound of chirping birds.

Sensing that something was wrong, Cinder tried to pull back, but the forward momentum of her sprint continued to carry her forward. An off balance attempt to slow down sent her tilting to the side – right into the path of Kakashi's kunai.

Deciding to deal as much damage as humanly possible without killing the woman, the copy nin redirected his chidori into the blade, charging it with electricity. Gripping the weapon tightly, the ninja chose to attack the most vulnerable part of her head – her eyes. Striking quickly, he lunged forward, slashing across in a horizontal arc. Kakashi felt the blood and viscera spray as the cold steel bit into her skin, soaking him in the crimson fluid.

There was a brief moment of silence, before Cinder screamed, hands scrabbling uselessly at her eyes, attempting to salvage the mangled remains. There was no need to, however, as those attempts proved to be futile. The woman fell to her knees, a deafening scream ripping from her lips.

Kakashi moved, hoping to extract as much information as possible, but it was too late. The screams and the sound of the battle had attracted attention, and distantly, the ninja could detect dozens of approaching footsteps, which meant that he had to move fast. Making a split second decision, Kakashi decided against bringing the woman with him, as doing so would slow him down, and must likely get him caught. The broken ribs and possible concussion didn't help either, and the copy nin knew he had already extracted lots of valuable intel. Pushing chakra to the soles of his feet, he once again scaled the walls with ease, slinking across the ceiling with a measured grace. Despite his rapidly diminishing chakra levels, he cast another quick genjutsu to ensure no cameras would track his escape.

Avoiding the incoming swarm of guards, Kakashi reapplied the henge, blending into the mass of faunus hazardously hurrying to tend to Cinder. Discreetly, he made his way towards the hidden doorway and slipped past just as the guard turned the other way.

Slipping into shadows, the ninja melded into the walls, practically invisible and he soon reached the main chamber, where he had come in from. The room was in disarray, with different groups of faunus arming themselves, whilst others attempted to run and hide. Taking advantage of the chaos, nobody noticed one lone figure slipping past the fronds of ivy shrouding the entrance and up into the streets above.

And then, the ninja was gone.

-0-0-0-

Tenzo had been travelling for a day before he realized something was horribly wrong.

The first sign was that niggling feeling at the back of his head, an eerie sensation constantly prickling at his senses, as if someone was watching him from afar. It didn't help that every few hours, the ground would rumble, the vibrations growing stronger with every step closer to his destination. Ignoring the instinctive impulse to turn tail and run, the shinobi continued, heading deeper into the tunnels.

The second sign was the over abundance of grimm. Whilst Tenzo was aware of the previous events that had lead to a failed attack on Beacon, he was not prepared for the sheer number of Grimm residing in the tunnels. Many times, Tenzo had been forced to hide, stealthily moving forward to avoid detection. This had slowed him down significantly, and it wasn't until night that he reached the ruins of Mount Glenn.

The third sign was that the tunnels were crawling with members of the White Fang. Everywhere he turned, there were more members of the terrorist organizations, loading dust, digging tunnels, you name it. Avoiding conflict if possible, the ninja took more turns than necessary, at last arriving at his destination.

As his footsteps drew him closer, the rumblings grew louder and stronger until he had to physically stick himself to the floors whilst he ran.

"Cat reporting. Arrived at destination. Your orders?" There was no response, only static. Tenzo frowned. _Perhaps the communicator is malfunctioning?_ Tapping the earpiece again, he repeated: "Dog? Captain? Your orders?"

Still no response.

Knowing that Ozpin's tech is unlikely to fail, the wood nin surmised that Kakashi must have a good reason to not answer his comms. Shrugging, Tenzo continued onward, at last reaching the vast cavern that used to house thousands of citizens. All that remained were bones, scraps of fabric and a lingering smell of decay and rot. Tenzo wrinkled his nose. Whilst he was not a stranger to death, it had been a while since he had encountered such a gruesome sight.

The ground began to shake again, and instinctively, the ninja channeled chakra to the soles of his feet, using it as a feeler to detect the location of the tremors. Following his chakra, the shinobi soon found himself in another cavern, this one being even bigger.

Similarly, this cavern also reeked of decay, with human bones littering the stone floor. Dried splotches of blood stained the area, adding to the overall dark atmosphere. However, what really caught Tenzo's eye was not the abnormal levels of grimm, nor the surprising lack of the White Fang.

What caught his eye was the large dragon sleeping in the centre of the cavern.

-0-0-0-0-

Oof. I hope this wasn't too graphic. I'm not normally a violent person, I just felt I had to add some of it.

Guten tag! Currently in Berlin for the History Olympiad so I'm super excited (and super tired – this competition is exhausting)! I'm still glad I got this chapter out on time though, cuz my hostel has really bad wifi, and I ended up using 3G from my phone. Hope that doesn't use up all my data. Thankfully, this time, I'm not too late and I didn't end up not updating for a year (again). I'm back on track now though, and I have everything planned (at least until the Fall of Beacon), so it should be good!

Anyhow thanks to all of my reviewers! Please keep reviewing! I do read (and respond) to all reviews, so if you have stuff you want to clarify, stuff you think could be done better, Omakes, or ideas about how this story should go, do feel free to leave a review or PM me!

Billykeo95: Lol this review made my day. Cinder really doesn't know what she got into XD Hope this chapter had enough of Kakashi whupping Cinder's ass.

Sartiel: Awwww no problem. But really, thank **you** for reviewing.

Marouan: Thanks! I hope you'll keep reading!

QuestionMarkBob: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

Serefall: Yes it does, didn't notice until you pointed it out, lol. I've always assumed it meant military or something. I've changed it already, so thanks for pointing that out, I'll remember that from now on. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

Guest: Hahahaha if I don't end in a cliffhanger how else will I get y'all to keep reading? I'll try to avoid them in the future, so that in case I go on hiatus, you guys won't be too angry at me. Thanks for reading! I'll be updating (somewhat) regularly, so stay tuned!

ReyZero: (Lo siento, no hablo mucho español) ¡Gracias! Espero que te gusta este capítulo, y continuaré trabajando duro.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"I'll see you around then!" Shisui waved cheerfully as he and his cousin rounded the bend leading up to their dormitories. "Had a nice time getting to know you guys!"

"Likewise!" Emerald replied, both her and her partner heading off towards their rooms. "Hope we can meet up again soon!" The duo sauntered off, Mercury lazily raising his hand in a half wave. The shinobi returned the gesture, watching the backs of the duo disappear around the corner. As soon as they did, Shisui allowed the easy smile to slip off his lips. "They were suspicious. I didn't like it."

The younger Uchiha agreed, the slight tilt of his head revealing his assent. "They didn't like us a lot either. But at least we were good at hiding it." Itachi grinned. "Now the question is: What are they hiding?"

 _During the dinner:_

 _Shisui wasn't too sure what constituted as good food in Beacon, so he settled for a quaint little café tucked in one of the side alleys. Mercury and Emerald didn't seem to mind, so he ushered them all into restaurant, settling in a quiet and secluded booth._

" _The food here looks good!" Shisui commented, as he looked over the menu. "Lots of choices to choose from. What are you getting?" He prompted his cousin. Itachi shrugged, subtly glancing at the layers of whipped cream and pancakes in the dessert section. "I don't know if I want anything."_

 _Shisui snorted. "Yeah right, I saw how you looked at those desserts, 'tachi. Which flavor do you want? Sesame or Matcha?"_

"… _Sesame, please."_

 _The group of four soon placed their orders, and Emerald shifted her attention to the two ninja, a well-practiced smile on her lips. "You two are really close, aren't you? It must be nice to have a family member on the team."_

 _Shisui laughed, an easy chuckle rumbling from his chest. "Ha! I guess, you are right. Itachi and I are basically brothers, so it is quite nice to have someone you trust on your team."_

 _Emerald's eyes glinted. "Oh? Does that mean you don't trust the rest of your team then?"_

" _What? Of course I trust my team! We've gotta watch each others backs in order to work in a team." Shisui paused. "Do you not trust each other? 'Cuz that's pretty sad man."_

 _The Mistrali duo bristled, though the response was quickly smothered, a neutral look smoothing over their features once again. "Of course we trust each other. Why wouldn't we? We've worked together for a while now, so I'm not sure what you're implying."_

" _Easy, easy." Shisui leaned back, his hands up in a placating manner. "I'm not trying to offend you, your previous statement just seemed a little odd. But I'm not really surprised though, you guys work really well together."_

 _With the tension dissipating, Emerald relaxed, shooting Shisui a coy grin. "That's what I should be saying. Mercuy and I were really impressed by your preliminaries. You guys took out your opponents without much effort, and even had aura to spare." She paused. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were overqualified for this competition."_

" _Really? I'm glad you think so highly of us." Shisui skillfully deflected the question. "We just tried our best. That's all."_

" _I'm sure you did. But I'm sure it also had a lot to do with your skill with your semblances as well?" Emerald pressed, leaning forward slightly. "Just how exactly did you become as strong as you are?"_

" _Just some training." Shisui answered, acting as nonchalant as possible. "We were lucky enough to find some sponsors, and so we trained." He shrugged. "Nothing special, really. Is that strange? How do you train in Mistral?"_

 _Seeing that her question had once again been deflected, Emerald settled back, just in time for their food to arrive. Both Itachi and Mercury dug into their food with gusto, leaving the other two to continue. "Not much. We focus more upon the practical aspect, which is why we seem experienced."_

 _Shisui nodded, 'hmm'ing in response. "I see. I guess that would explain why you hid so well in the match against CFVY and knew exactly when to strike. I didn't even know where you were for a lot of the time, until you had already taken down the other team!"_

 _Emerald twitched, quickly smothering her reaction with an easy smile. "Is that so? I wasn't really that well hidden, I just needed to find the right time to strike. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a combat type."_

 _Lie. Shisui thought, noting the sinewy muscles on her arms. "Either way, it was really impressive. Maybe we should train together sometime? When are you available?"_

" _Hmm…" Emerald looked thoughtful. "I'm not quite sure I want to reveal all of our techniques in a sparring match, but I guess a friendly spar would be beneficial to both of us. When do you guys normally train?"_

 _Hook. Line. Sinker._

 _Shisui tried not to look too smug as Emerald easily agreed to his proposal._

" _We normally do Thursday afternoons. You up for it?"_

" _Sure! Just don't cry when we kick your asses."_

 _Shisui grinned, teeth glinting. "Oh, I'm looking forward to that."_

Returning to the present, Itachi fished out his scroll, tapping it once on the door, which unlocked with a soft beeping sound.

Shisui's hand suddenly shot out from his side, stopping the younger Uchiha from entering. "Intruder." Both shinobi's eyes flashed red, fingers creeping towards their kunai pouches. On an unspoken signal, both dashed in, Itachi throwing down a smoke bomb and Shisui shunshinning forward to immobilize the target.

A hand shot out of the smoke, catching Itachi's ar in a tight grip before flinging him back. The younger ninja managed to catch himself in time, landing lightly on the opposite side of the room.

"Itachi, Shisui, it's just me. Relax." A familiar voice spoke from within the smoke cloud.

Shisui's grip on his kunai never loosened, despite his Sharingan enabling him to see the gravity defying silver hair of the copy nin. "When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames…"

"The fire's shadow shall illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew." Kakashi finished, stepping out of the smoke.

Both Uchihas relaxed, seeing it was their captain.

"Taichou, you're…" Itachi trailed off, noticing copper smell and the rivulets of blood dripping down his arm. "…injured. I'll grab a med kit."

"That's unnecessary," the copy nin tried to wave away their concerns. "Most of it isn't mine."

"Oh yeah?" Shisui arched an eyebrow. "I can clearly see you wincing when you breathe. You've definitely got at least a couple of bruised ribs. Don't be an idiot and sit down."

With a resigned sigh, Kakashi sat down on one of the beds, the blood soaking into the bed sheets. "Kouhai these days… So disrespectful to their senpai."

"Is it really disrespectful when we're saving you from injuring yourself further?" Shisui questioned, his hands undoing the latches fastened to his breast plate. "Arms up."

Kakashi winced, the movement hurting his bruised ribs. With some effort, the duo managed to get most of his armor off just as Itachi returned with the Med kit.

Wrapping the injury with a well-practised ease, Shisui turned his attention to the captain. "So what exactly happened? It's not like you to come back injured, in less than a day no less."

Kakashi hummed. "I was investigating a Black Fang base. I found several trains full of dust, which I planted Tenzo's tracking seeds into, so that he can deal with it. Speaking of which…" The copy nin tapped his earpiece. "Cat? Do you copy?" There was a quick fizzing sound, the device crackling to life. "I planted a tracking seed in a few trains carrying dust."

"…Taichou… can't hear…"

The device sputtered again, and Kakashi scowled. "Cat? Can you hear me now? I planted your seeds in a few trains filled with dust. I need you to either destroy the dust, or use it to bring down the thing causing the earthquakes."

"…repeat…"

"Just locate your tracking seeds! Then find the trains carrying the dust!"

The device abruptly fizzled out. Kakashi sighed, removing the earpiece, tossing it carelessly to the opposite corner of the bed.

"I hope Tenzo understood me. Continuing on with my investigation, I ran into a woman who fought back. She landed quite a few hits on me and is quite skilled, whether that is in hand to hand combat, or in using her semblance. She also has quite a unique fire ability. I'd say it was something similar to our techniques, although my sharingan was unable to copy it."

Both Uchihas were silent, processing the news. Eventually, Itachi spoke up. "Well, that's not good. We will need to go see Ozpin tomorrow anyways to treat your injuries and get the earpiece fixed. We'll talk to him tomorrow so you can discuss your findings as well. But for now, I think you need to rest. You look absolutely exhausted."

Kakashi opened his mouth to argue, then closed it, seeing that there was no room for debate. "Might as well."

-0-0-0-0-

For the first time in years, Tenzo had no idea what to do.

Every day, he followed a strict routine of wake up, work, sleep, repeat, so when faced with a 50-foot slumbering dragon he was supposed to deal with, he had no idea what he should do.

Ducking behind one of the larger boulders, he took a deep breath to recollect his thoughts. _I think killing it is out of the question. There's no way I can bring down something of that size without waking it up or alerting the nearby sentries. My orders were to neutralize the threat – but there's no point in getting myself killed in the first part of mission. There has to be some sort of way I can complete the mission, and stay alive for long enough to report back._

 _There are currently 15 grim in the immediate vicinity, 5 of which are giants, probably some of the older monsters. I think it's safe to say that I won't be able to take them down without sustaining heavy injury, so that's out of the question._

Taking a glance around, Tenzo surveyed the surrounding area, trying to find anything that would help him out. _Some bits of bone, boulders, some broken weaponry… Nothing that can really do much._

As if on cue, the shinobi's earpiece buzzed, alerting him to a call. Warily, Tenzo slid his fingers over the device. "Hello?"

Static buzz. Tenzo tapped the device again. "Hello? Taichou?"

There was a brief pause before it crackled to life. "…Cat? …copy… tracking…"

Tenzo frowned, tapping the device again. "Taichou? I can't hear you."

"…Cat? …you hear… planted seed… dust… bring it down"

"Taichou, can you repeat that?"

"…your tracking seeds… train carrying dust…" Tenzo didn't get a chance to hear the rest of the sentence as the communicator fizzed out, once again returning to the static he had grown accustomed to hearing.

"Damn." He swore, removing the earpiece. There was no point in waiting for orders from his superiors. He was better off calling his own shots. However, he did know Kakashi had been trying to warn him of something. Something to do with a tracking seed and dust…? 

The pieces clicked into place. Quickly sending out brief pulses of chakra, he located one of his signature tracking seeds located in an area less than a kilometer away. _But how did it get there…?_

Deciding that that question would be dealt with some other time, he hurried along the stone pathways, reaching the destination with less trouble than he anticipated.

What he saw was surprising to say the least.

The cavern was swarming with faunus, all gathered around a train filled with dust. The walls were covered in the White Fang's insignia, no doubt this was what Kakashi had been asking him to investigate.

Sending out another brief pulse of chakra, he managed to pinpoint the location of his tracking seeds, buried beneath a crate of dust. Casting a quick henge that turned him into a cat faunus with tawny eyes, he slipped into the crowd, attempting to gather as much information as possible.

Picking up a crate, he sidled up to a chameleon faunus with dark spots around her eyes. "Hey, do you know what all this dust is here for?"

She shrugged. "Dunno. Don't ask. It's what Adam wants."

"Adam? He's here?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Of course. Were you not there whilst he gave his remarks?"

 _Shit._ "No, I wasn't, actually." Tenzo lied. "I only joined the cause very recently, after the _humans,"_ He spat the word distastefully. "Razed my home to the ground. I ran here because I had no where else to go."

"Oh." Her eyes softened. "I'm sorry about that. But here, all faunus are welcome. I'm glad you joined our cause."

Tenzo smiled sadly. "Me too. Anyhow, could you give me any advice or instructions? I'd like to help any way I can."

"Sure!" She perked up, brown hair bobbing up like a chameleon's tail. "You see those maps on the walls? That's where we need to get the dust placed. Just make sure you read the correct amount for each spot."

 _Jackpot._ "Great, thank you so much!"

"No problem. By the way, I'm Ilia." She stuck out her hand for him to shake.

"Nice to meet you Ilia." Tenzo gripped her hand firmly. "I'm Neko. Hope to see you around?"

She grinned. "Yeah, of course. Now get to work!"

Tenzo mock saluted. "Yes ma'am!" With a brief wave, he headed up the stairs to the maps. Once her eyes were no longer on him, he exhaled softly, thanking whatever god had been watching over him.

The maps were incredibly detailed, with the precise mass of dust labeled down to each speck. Tenzo's eyes scanned the papers quickly, noting the locations. _All the locations are located around the cavern with the sleeping dragon. Much closer to the surface as well… Normally, that only happens if they want to create an opening…_ Tenzo's eyes widened. _They're planning to release the dragon._

The gears started turning his mind. _I can't possibly stop the dragon. Even with the full team, I don't think victory would be certain. Anyhow, killing or harming the dragon is out of the question. There are too many variables. That means I can only delay it, until I relay the information back to the team._

 _I can get rid of the dust at least. Or… simply sabotage their efforts. Perhaps I could cast a genjutsu on the maps? But I'm sure these aren't the only copies that they have. Would it be much simpler to just blow up the dust? But then it'd simply raise suspicions. If only…_

 _Oh._ Tenzo's eyes stopped on one of the locations around the perimeter of the cavern. _That's where the first crates of dust would be ignited. If I can somehow 'misplace' that charge, the resulting landslide would cause the cavern to collapse inwards instead, burying the dragon instead of freeing it._ Tenzo squinted, trying to do the math in his head. _I think so at least…_

 _Oh well, it's better than nothing. I don't have any other options._ Lifting up the crates, he headed down to the location, making a quick mark on the map to show that the dust had already been rigged in that area.

The location wasn't as far as he thought it would be, and only took him an hour on foot using civilian speed. Tenzo was pleased to find that not too many faunus were there. Those who were were, were milling around and completing their own tasks. Casting another henge, Tenzo's features morphed into that of a burly dog faunus, complete with a uniform that matched a higher ranking faunus he had seen earlier. Another couple of handseals and a crowd of illusion clones appeared. Tenzo winced, feeling his chakra reserves drain rapidly.

He stepped into the mini cavern. "Attention!" Tenzo raised his voice, sounding much gruffer than was used to. "All faunus working here, please return to the main HQ, where you will be given new instructions. We can take over from here." Tenzo managed to tug his lips into a smile. "Thank you for all your hard work."

There was a brief moment of silence. No one moved. "Well?" Tenzo raised an eyebrow. "Get a move on!" Then everyone was moving, and soon the cavern was empty.

Tenzo sent out another pulse of chakra to see if everyone was gone. Was he was sure he was alone, he dispelled the illusion clones, feeling his chakra levels return back to a reasonable levels.

He let out a breath of relief. Taking a look around the cavern, he found that various crates of dust were already scattered throughout the room. Quickly carrying them over to where he needed them, his hands flashed through a few handseals for an earthen wall, where he quickly buried the extra charges under the ground and along the walls.

Once all the dust was in place, including the visible ones that the original map had stated, Tenzo retreated, pulling off his henge to reserve his chakra for the journey back.

 _I haven't stopped anything._ Tenzo thought as he ran. _I'm only delaying the inevitable. I've done all I can for now. Right now,_ Tenzo hastened his pace, face set in grim determination. _I need to report back to taichou. Then we'll see what we can do about it._

Anyway, holy smokes, IB is exhausting. Sorry I haven't updated in a year. I know I promised to update more frequently, but IB has just been a lot more than I bargained for. If there's anyone who's interested in helping to write this fic for me, please PM me!

On another note, this fic has also been posted to Ao3, so please show it some love over there as well! 3

Leicontis: Hi! I read this and took this into consideration, so I added some extra detail into the previous chapter (Chap 6) about Kakashi's reasons, so thank you for pointing that out!

Billykeo95: Dude I heard jumpforce was bad, so I didn't get it lol. I have seen the gameplays tho.

QuestionMarkBob: Thanks! So sorry for the late chapter, but I hope this is to your liking!

Dragfire: Thanks for reading!

Sayonara: Team RWBY and KITS will definitely meet. I mean, they are the main characters lol. I will try to keep updating! Thank you for reading!

DuhasianBoi: Thanks for the continued support! :D

Trollzor69: Yup! Here's an update!

JaphetSkie: I can't tell you that, but I do have plans for Sasuke and the other Uchihas. Can't tell you what they are right now though, that's too much of a spoiler.


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